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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23782930">Welcome Home, Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aly_rae_hinman/pseuds/aly_rae_hinman'>aly_rae_hinman</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bittersweet, I Just Really Miss Vax Okay?, I Made Myself Cry, No Gore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:20:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23782930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aly_rae_hinman/pseuds/aly_rae_hinman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has to die at some point, even the members of Vox Machina. The Raven Queen makes it a little easier by sending her newest champion to bring his family home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia, Scanlan Shorthalt/Pike Trickfoot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>219</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Welcome Home, Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I like to think that maybe Vax was the one to bring his family from the mortal plane to the afterlife.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>An elderly Grog walks into a fight he knows he can't finish. He takes another arrow to the chest, and another, and another until his body can’t keep itself upright anymore. A raven hops towards him as he falls back against the nearest tree, slumping to the ground. He watches it turn into a figure clad all in black right before his eyes. He knows that pale skin, the dark hair, the feathers decorating the black armor. He saw an older, female version of him a few weeks ago. </p>
<p>"Grog, it's so good to see you again. Why don’t you come with me?"</p>
<p>Vax holds out his hand to the Goliath and watches as a spectral version of his friend separates and leaves an empty, soulless body, bleeding out on the ground. They watch together as the last breath leaves the corpse that was once Grog Strongjaw. </p>
<p>"Come on Big Man, let's go."</p>
<p>*******</p>
<p>Percy goes next, peacefully in his sleep. When his eyes open he sees a pale figure, long dark hair falling over their shoulders, standing over him. At first, he thinks it's Vex but as his vision becomes clearer he sees the man who used to be his best friend staring down at his face. </p>
<p>"V-Vax?"</p>
<p>Vax smiles at him. It looks out of place on the young half-elf’s face, as if he hasn't done it in a while.</p>
<p>"Percival, you have been so good to her. Thank you for taking care of my sister, but it's time to leave her to your children now. Come."</p>
<p>Vax holds out a hand. Percy takes it and looks down at the body of Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III and his Lady Vex'ahlia, sleeping soundly next to the still body that used to house her husband. A similar visage to the man whose hand Percy is currently holding, but with grayer hair and deeper smile lines. </p>
<p>"You know she will be upset you didn't stay to say hello."</p>
<p>"She will be upset about more than that, Freddy. Now come. It's time to go."</p>
<p>Percy crosses to the other side of the bed and presses a kiss to his beloved’s forehead. </p>
<p>"I'll see you soon love. Not too soon though, okay?"</p>
<p>He takes the cold hand offered to him once more and follows the man who gave up his life so that he and his family may have theirs, into the afterlife.</p>
<p>*******</p>
<p>When Vex wakes up she knows something is wrong before her eyes fully open. She closes them again. He's gone. She can feel it. If she listens hard enough she can hear her grandchildren waking up their parents to start their day. She allows herself a few minutes to mourn over the body of her lost love before she gets out of bed, slow in her old age. There's a trail of black feathers leading from Percy's side of the bed to the window. Vex allows herself another moment to mourn the fact that she missed the brief visit of her brother. She picks up a feather, tucks it behind her ear, black replacing the blue that once resided there, and goes to tell her family of the news. </p>
<p>By the time Vex passes, no one is surprised. She's been sick for so long that even her young great-grandchildren know that it's her time. <br/>Pike is holding her hand as she closes her eyes for the last time. There is a smile on her face as her last breath leaves her chest. She knows she will see her brother and her love again soon. </p>
<p>Vex is waiting for him when a raven flies into the window of the temple of Sarenrae. Pike turns to greet him with tears in her eyes but he isn't here for her. </p>
<p>"Sister. How good it is to see you again, you've no idea how much I missed you." He draws her into his arms for the first time in over a century. </p>
<p>"I have some idea," she says as she pushes her face into the mantle of feathers decorating his chest. </p>
<p>"There are some more people I'm sure would love to see you if you're ready."</p>
<p>She takes his hand and blows a kiss back in the direction of a quietly crying Pike, in the process of pulling a blanket up Vex's still body. Soon she will call the de Rolo children to come say goodbye to their mother one last time. Vex doesn't want to be here when that happens. </p>
<p>"Let's go, brother." </p>
<p>As she enters the afterlife, Vex is surrounded by her boys.</p>
<p>*******</p>
<p>Pike goes next, defending Whitestone in the name of Sarenrae. The mage looks her in the eye as he casts the spell that stops her heart. There is no cleric to help her as she falls. The mage's harsh eyes morph into soft, familiar, brown irises. </p>
<p>"Vax, you came for me too?"</p>
<p>Vax crouches over her prone form and gives her a sad smile.</p>
<p>"Of course, Pickle. I could never leave you to cross over by yourself."</p>
<p>He grabs both of her gloved hands and pulls her to her feet, or, where her feet would have been at least. <br/>The first person she sees, because how could he hide from her, is Grog. </p>
<p>"PIKE! YOU’RE HERE!" He bellows, sweeping her out of Vax's grasp and into a hug that would have crushed her mortal form. The rest of her deceased family stands by smiling, waiting for their turn to take their beloved cleric back into their arms.</p>
<p>Scanlan is the first to be told. He knows he will see her again soon, but he's a selfish man. He spends several days praying to a goddess he doesn’t believe in, begging for her to bring Pike back. Vax just watches him sadly, knowing it is close to his time.</p>
<p>*******</p>
<p>Scanlan decides to stay with the Air Ashari for a while after he delivers the news to their leader. Together, the last two remaining members of Vox Machina mourn the death of their dearly loved Pike. A couple of months after his arrival, Scanlan sees Vax’s face once more.</p>
<p>"Mmm... You're not here to see her are you?"</p>
<p>Vax sits in front of him, cross-legged in the soft grass.</p>
<p>"No. Not for several more centuries, I'm afraid," Vax says with a small smile. </p>
<p>"That's probably for the best. She's doing a pretty bang-up job here, you know?" </p>
<p>Vax nods slowly and they fall into silence once more. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry, y'know, that I couldn't save you... I was so close." Scanlan falls quiet once more. "I did a lot of things worth regretting in my life but you... Not being able to save you takes the cake." A pause. "She still talks about you almost every day. She really misses you." </p>
<p>Vax waits until he’s sure the bard has finished. </p>
<p>"I know. I can hear her. You too. I know of your guilt but you didn't have to harbor it, it was my choice to serve her, after all." With that he stands up, grabbing Scanlan's hand on the way.</p>
<p>"Let's go see our family shall we?"</p>
<p>They welcome him back to them with open arms and Scanlan hides his face in Percy’s coat so no one can see his tears of happiness. He's missed these people so much.</p>
<p>*******</p>
<p>A raven comes to perch on her shoulder in the middle of a meeting one sunny afternoon. She knew he didn’t have long, but she thought it would be longer than this. The raven leads her to the middle of her favorite field where she finds the still-warm body of Scanlan lying peacefully in the grass, surrounded by snowdrop flowers. Vax's message to her. She won't see him for many many years still, but the little messages he leaves for her with the passing of each of their friends make her feel a little closer to him. Well, that and the constant presence of the raven that likes to sit in her windowsill at night. </p>
<p>Every few years or so one of her tribe dies. There is always one lone black feather placed just so carefully on their chest.</p>
<p>It's a warm but quickly cooling afternoon when her raven comes to visit her. At first, she thinks it's her nearly 20-century old eyes playing tricks on her. But she'd know that figure anywhere and she reaches out her hand towards him. </p>
<p>"Vax'ildan. You came back." There are tears in her eyes though she can’t place which emotion brought them about. Whether it be the sadness that comes from knowing that her tribe is losing their leader or happiness that she's finally going to be reunited with her only love and her family. She can't be sure, but she's pretty sure there are tears in his eyes as well. </p>
<p>"Kiki, my love. It's time to come home now." His voice breaks as he says this. She reaches for his face, so young. Even younger than she remembers him as she watched him walk away from her for the last time. Were she still within her physical body, her hands should have gone right through him, but she feels his skin, soft and cold under her fingers as she brushes away the tear rolling down his cheek. "Come home with me. Our family is waiting for us."</p>
<p>She follows him into the dark, just as she has so many times before. Over his shoulder, she sees her family, just as she remembers them looking when they lost Vax the first time. A young man with white hair and intelligent eyes, his arm around the waist of the beautiful, dark-haired half-elf that looks so very much like the man she loves. On her shoulder is a large grey hand of the heavily tattooed half-giant, a gnome perched on each shoulder, the smile coming from the cleric almost blinding and the smirk from the bard one she hasn't seen since their god killing days. The dark-haired man leading her back to them stops to look back at her with a soft smile on his face. A strange family portrait for sure, but it's hers. These are the people that love her and she wouldn’t change a thing.</p>
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